Excited about Ferrari's pace. It's clear they had more chassis pace with Vettel easing off in the third sector and Kimi saying there's more left in it, but I wonder if the engine is turned down, or more importantly, how much it can be turned up.

Mercedes will obviously have pace in reserve, and the engine will be turned right down throughout testing. I (along with probably everyone else) am scared to see what will happen when they fully unleash it (compare free practice last year with Q3 times), but hopefully Ferrari can up the power by a similar margin.

Red Bull is an interesting one. They seem quite far off the pace and haven't really demonstrated they can cut it. Combined with saying Australia won't bring significant changes means it seems surprising that they will be able to find a couple of seconds, but they have surprised us before, so I know people are expecting big things of them come Melbourne.

Williams seems like the wildcard this season, showing similar pace to their first Hybrid turbo year in 2014. I wonder whether they will still be there once they are all unleashed.

If nothing else the "best of the rest" battle is shaping up to be quite interesting (assuming Merc, RBR and SF are the top three comfortably). I think Renault and Torro Rosso could be a good battle, with Force India yet to show, and Haas looking quick but with the same unreliability issues (brakes) as last year coming through.

I can see Ferrari, Mercedes and RBR all fighting for the title this season. Apart from Williams, the others need to iron out their problems, as they've had a few problems. McLaren needs to get there's sorted out soon, because their improvements from last season will be a waste otherwise

Honda's culture seems to be changing from hubris to pigheaded stupidity!

Japanese engineers are known to be very "proud" and don't seem open to external input. There was a Yamaha snowmobile event in Canada where Yamaha engineers were on scene. Yamaha had introduced a new line of performance mountain sleds. Many of us who own Yamaha mountain sleds have them modified to the hilt with aftermarket accessories (manufactured in North America) to improve performance, handling and decrease weight without affecting reliability. Japanese engineers had a chance to look at these "improved" sleds, but they would have none of it. Yamaha owners would beg for Factory improvements year after year and new releases would always be a let down in that sector. Other sled manufacturers would be constantly introducing new models to show off their development prowess. Every loyal Yamaha fan would always say that if Yamaha really wanted to build a sled that would dominate the snow they would. Why haven't they?

Honda F1 in this case sounds no different with their Japanese culture. No doubt the Japanese excel in pretty much everything, but their engine program truly has me baffled. I believe that is truly the case where they refuse to rely on outside consultants and stick with their "proud" engineers.

I remember watching races at the track and Bar Honda and the Super Aguri having the sweetest sounding engines. Even on tv they had the highest smoothest pitch. The Mercs in the McLarens were the worst with their throaty sound.

When Honda returned to F1 I really believed they were going to be a force to be reckoned with especially having a year to prepare prior to entering a season and seeing all the new designs that were out there. Very very disappointing situation to say the least!!!

__________________
What shall we use to fill the empty spaces, where waves of hunger roar?
Shall we set out across the sea of faces in search of more and more applause?
Shall we buy a new guitar? Shall we drive a more powerful car?

Mercedes will obviously have pace in reserve, and the engine will be turned right down throughout testing. I (along with probably everyone else) am scared to see what will happen when they fully unleash it (compare free practice last year with Q3 times), but hopefully Ferrari can up the power by a similar margin.

i hope so too, but were Merc really sandbagging? obviously wont know until the first race but with limited testing is sandbagging still an optimal strategy?

as a question, how much would sandbagging hinder data collection? does that have a knock on effect to development/upgrades over the course of the upcoming season?

whatever the answer i havent been this excited about a new season for a while now.

__________________
What shall we use to fill the empty spaces, where waves of hunger roar?
Shall we set out across the sea of faces in search of more and more applause?
Shall we buy a new guitar? Shall we drive a more powerful car?

as a question, how much would sandbagging hinder data collection? does that have a knock on effect to development/upgrades over the course of the upcoming season?

whatever the answer i havent been this excited about a new season for a while now.

i think sandbagging is fine for the team and the car. Just load it up with fuel and don't turn the engine right up. If anything the tyres, aero and chassis will be pushed more to the limit, but not the engine (but a dyno should have already proven the engine).

There are a couple of issues though. For one the driver won't be able to get a true feel for the car and I think we're seeing that in Lewis' comments. He seems very unsure. The other is obviously seeing how the car is on the limit (tyres etc), however this is only for ultimate lap time (qualy) - as long as the race pace is there it may not matter.

I haven't rechecked, but apparently this is the third year in a row that Ferrari has been fastest in winter testing (however I do feel that this year is a little different, but I'm only expecting them to be equal at best)

Here we go... one team has been asked to change it's suspension design as it doesn't comply with the rules. No official word on which team it is, but rumours suggest it's a top level team.

After the request from the FIA during testing, Mercedes and Red Bull have changed their suspension design, and have now been cleared to race. This however, does not mean another team cannot protest the Mercedes and Red Bull suspensions. In particular, the Mercedes design is in question. There could be a protest coming this weekend.